Since the time of David Ogilvy, our job has been to make people want things and it’s time we redirect our energies to that purpose because advertising is getting harder due to the appearance of a new middle class, the Y-generation, or millennials, in China and the rest of the world.

The 2017 Havas Meaningful Brand global report shows findings that “people wouldn't care if 74% of the brands they use disappeared.”

What is it like to drive for Lyft? Soon, it's a question the company's more than 2,000 corporate employees will be better able to answer.

That's because the second largest ride hailing service in the U.S. is now requiring its employees to spend at least four hours a month driving for Lyft or, alternatively, working in one of Lyft's driver hubs or fielding driver support calls.

Amazon's unrelenting drive to take over the world continues. The latest potential target of the online retailer's ambitions: prescription drugs.

According to reports, Amazon is exploring entering the retail pharmacy market in the U.S., a $400bn a year business that many believe is ripe for disruption. While a final decision has apparently not yet been made, it's not too early for pharma marketers to start considering the prospect of Amazon entering this huge market.

As the year draws to a close, talk naturally turns to what the biggest trends of 2018 will be. Will AI dominate? Is personalisation yet again going to take centre stage?

Interestingly, it seems the one thing consumers will look for in the year ahead is a brand that sounds exactly like they do. In other words, emotional intelligence – i.e. the ability to empathise and engage like a human – will become the biggest consumer expectation of all.

For years, there has been much talk about the impact of fintech startups like Monzo and Atom Bank on incumbent banks but little has been done to quantify the actual effects fintechs are having on big banks.

New data from The Bank of England (BoE), published as part of its 2017 stress test of the UK banking system, however, is shedding light on this subject.

The potential repeal of the 2015 net neutrality rules that were implemented in the U.S. by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has sparked an outcry from consumers, consumer rights groups, businesses and trade organizations.

Under a proposal unveiled last week, ISPs would, among other things, no longer be banned from charging companies to prioritize the delivery of their content or restricting access to particular online services that utilize significant resources.